---
title: "European Union"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/jurisdictions/european-union"
type: "jurisdiction"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "EU"
kind: "supranational"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-11"
---

# European Union

> The EU AI Act applies to providers and deployers, including law firms: AI literacy and prohibitions since 2 Feb 2025; transparency duties from 2 Aug 2026. CCBE guidance for lawyers.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/jurisdictions/european-union  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-11

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

EU AI Act (Reg. 2024/1689) Article 4 – AI literacy

EU AI Act Article 5 – Prohibited AI practices

EU AI Act Article 50 – Transparency obligations for providers and deployers

CCBE guide on the use of generative AI by lawyers

The EU AI Act applies to providers and deployers, including law firms: AI literacy and prohibitions since 2 Feb 2025; transparency duties from 2 Aug 2026. CCBE guidance for lawyers.

## Key facts

- Kind: Supranational
- Task versions written for this jurisdiction: 0
- AI instruments recorded: 12

## Jurisdiction note

Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## AI rules and guidance (12)

| Instrument | Issuer | Kind | Effective | Source type | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [EU AI Act (Reg. 2024/1689) Article 4 – AI literacy](https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/4/) | European Union | legislation | 2025-02-02 | Primary source | Providers and deployers (incl. law firms deploying AI) must take measures to ensure sufficient AI literacy of staff. |
| [EU AI Act Article 5 – Prohibited AI practices](https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/5/) | European Union | legislation | 2025-02-02 | Secondary source | Lists prohibited AI practices; relevant to advising clients and to firm tools. |
| [EU AI Act Article 50 – Transparency obligations for providers and deployers](https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/50/) | European Union | legislation | 2026-08-02 | Primary source | Disclosure duties for AI interacting with people and marking of synthetic content; relevant to client-facing chatbots. |
| [CCBE guide on the use of generative AI by lawyers](https://www.ccbe.eu/fileadmin/speciality_distribution/public/documents/IT_LAW/ITL_Guides_recommendations/EN_ITL_20251002_CCBE-guide-on-the-use-of-the-use-of-generative-AI-for-lawyers.pdf) | Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe | professional_guidance | 2025-10-02 | Primary source | European bars' guide on GenAI use by lawyers, with references to the EU AI Act and international guidance. |
| [EU AI Act Annex III point 8 – Administration of justice (high-risk)](https://ai-act-service-desk.ec.europa.eu/en/ai-act/annex-3) | European Union | legislation | 2027-12-02 | Primary source | Annex III, point 8, classifies as high-risk an AI system used by or on behalf of a judicial authority to research and interpret facts and the law, or to apply the law to facts, and a similar use in… |
| [EU AI Act Article 26 – Obligations of deployers of high-risk AI systems](https://ai-act-service-desk.ec.europa.eu/en/ai-act/article-26) | European Union | legislation | Not stated | Primary source | Article 26 sets duties for deployers of high-risk AI systems, including following the instructions for use, assigning human oversight to competent people, monitoring and keeping logs.… |
| [Timeline for the Implementation of the EU AI Act](https://ai-act-service-desk.ec.europa.eu/en/ai-act/timeline/timeline-implementation-eu-ai-act) | European Commission | timeline | Not stated | Primary source | Commission timeline for the AI Act. The general application date remains 2 August 2026.… |
| [Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 amending the AI Act (high-risk deadlines deferred)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32026R1744) | European Union | legislation | 2026-07-27 | Primary source | Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, the AI Omnibus, in force on 27 July 2026. It amends Article 113 of the AI Act so Chapter III, Sections 1 to 3, apply from 2 December 2027 for Annex III high-risk systems… |
| [AI Literacy – Questions & Answers (Article 4)](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/faqs/ai-literacy-questions-answers) | European Commission | faq | Not stated | Primary source | Commission Q&A on the Article 4 duty for providers and deployers (including law firms) to ensure sufficient AI literacy of staff. |
| [General-Purpose AI Code of Practice](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/contents-code-gpai) | European Commission | code_of_practice | 2025-07-10 | Primary source | Voluntary code helping GPAI model providers comply with AI Act safety, transparency and copyright duties; confirmed adequate by Commission and AI Board. |
| [Guidelines on the use of generative AI for courts](https://rm.coe.int/cepej-2025-18final-en-draft-guidelines-on-the-use-of-generative-ai-for/48802a4ad1) | CEPEJ (Council of Europe) | guidelines | 2025-12-05 | Primary source | CEPEJ guidelines (CEPEJ(2025)18Final) on operational and ethical use of generative AI by courts and judicial professionals. This is a Council of Europe instrument, not an EU regulation. |
| [Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and human rights, democracy and the rule of law (CETS 225)](https://www.coe.int/en/web/artificial-intelligence/the-framework-convention-on-artificial-intelligence) | Council of Europe | treaty | Not stated | Primary source | Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and human rights, democracy and the rule of law (CETS 225).… |

- EU AI Act Article 5 – Prohibited AI practices: Check the 2 Dec 2026 provisions (possible amendment).

## Sources

- [EU AI Act (Reg. 2024/1689) Article 4 – AI literacy](https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/4/) (checked 2026-10-10)
- [EU AI Act Article 5 – Prohibited AI practices](https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/5/) (checked 2026-10-10)
- [EU AI Act Article 50 – Transparency obligations for providers and deployers](https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/50/) (checked 2026-10-10)
- [CCBE guide on the use of generative AI by lawyers](https://www.ccbe.eu/fileadmin/speciality_distribution/public/documents/IT_LAW/ITL_Guides_recommendations/EN_ITL_20251002_CCBE-guide-on-the-use-of-the-use-of-generative-AI-for-lawyers.pdf) (checked 2026-10-10)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*